Trump critics and ‘Morning Joe’ hosts meet him, agree to ‘restart communications’

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ show and outspoken critics of President-elect Donald Trump, met with him last week at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The meeting marked their first in-person interaction with Trump in seven years.
Brzezinski, speaking on Monday’s show, revealed that while she and Scarborough — who are also married — disagreed with Trump on numerous issues, they emphasised the importance of restarting communications.
“What we did agree on was to restart communications,” Brzezinski said.
The meeting was notable, given the strained history between the hosts and Trump. According to Brzezinski, the two had not spoken with him since 2020, aside from a personal call Scarborough made following an attempted assassination of Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania in July.
During today’s ‘Morning Joe’ discussion Brzezinski said, “In this meeting, he was upbeat, cheerful and he seemed interested in finding common ground on some of the most divisive issues”.
“For those asking why we would go speak with the president-elect during such fraught times, especially between us: I guess I would ask back, why wouldn’t we?” she added.
Scarborough also shared insights into the meeting, mentioning that a close ally of Trump suggested the timing was significant. “Because Trump is not seeking another term in office, now could be the time to get to work,” Scarborough quoted the Trump aid as saying.
Scarborough also clarified his intent behind their engagement to Trump’s aide. “Don’t be mistaken, we’re not here to defend or normalise Donald Trump. We’re here to report on him and to hopefully provide you insights and better equip all of us to understand these deeply unsettling times,” the TV host told him.